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An underground battery: Miami’s latest geothermal plant conversion

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An underground battery: Miami’s latest geothermal plant conversion


Following senior commencement, Miami University plans to break ground for construction, but not for a new academic building or residence hall. 

Miami will begin drilling more than 500 wells almost 850 feet into the earth as the university’s next step toward carbon neutrality. The wells will be used for geothermal energy extraction to support the conversion of the North Chiller Plant from fossil-fuel-powered steam systems to a geothermal energy plant. According to the Energy Information Administration, geothermal plants use wells to extract and use the heat from the Earth’s interior to power turbines that generate electricity.

Overseeing this project is Miami’s Director of Sustainability, Olivia Herron. 

“Through the President’s Climate Leadership Commitment, President Crawford has committed Miami to carbon neutrality by 2040. The biggest source of our emissions, broadly, is energy,” Herron said. “But specifically, we can attribute the biggest single source to heating and cooling our buildings.”

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The North Chiller Plant, located between Withrow and McFarland Halls, currently provides heating and cooling through steam systems powered by natural gas, a fossil fuel. Although cleaner than conventional fossil fuels such as coal and oil, natural gas is non-renewable, and unintended leaks or flaring can harm the environment. 

Photo by Ava Kalina |
The Miami Student

The geothermal wells will be dug under the front lawn of Millett Hall instead of the Millett parking lot.

“We have transitioned to natural gas, which is obviously a lot cleaner. But still, we know that it’s not efficient to send something really hot through 14 miles of underground line. You’re just always going to have heat loss,” Herron said. “… This transition to geothermal is essential to achieving our carbon neutrality targets and will just improve the energy efficiency of all of the buildings it starts.”

The soon-to-be North Geothermal Plant will provide clean heating and cooling to many North campus buildings, including Millett Hall and the Student Athlete Development Center. In addition to North Campus buildings being supported by the North Geothermal Plant, Shideler and Bachelor Hall will be transitioned onto Western’s existing geothermal energy plant. 

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The Oxford campus projects to heat 43 buildings from geothermal by 2026, accounting for 39% of campus buildings and making geothermal the largest energy source by square footage and number of buildings.

Geothermal plants produce and store energy all year round, making them a reliable source for fluctuating weather patterns and changing climates. Don Van Winkle, the associate director of engineering within Miami’s physical facilities department, explains its capacity to balance energy shortages in times of need. 

“What the geothermal wellfield will allow us to do is take that energy we’re pulling out in an unbalanced situation and store it in the ground,” Van Winkle said. “So if we are in the cooling season, we’ve got to take a bunch of heat out of spaces. And we always have someplace to put heat, there’s always domestic hot water going on, no matter what time of year.” 

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Van Winkle explained that the current steam system is a balancing act of energy use, and with geothermal the ground can be used as an underground battery to store unused energy.

“There is always use for some of the heat, but it could be out of balance. We can use the new geothermal wells to send that heat into the ground, and then it’s available for us to use in the winter when we are unbalanced the other way.”

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The original project outline for digging these geothermal wells planned on tearing up the Millett parking lot, but discussions in the fall 2023 semester led to a decision not to drill the wells underneath the parking lot. Herron said the wells will be dug under the grass in front of Millett instead.

The energy efficiency, low cost and storage abilities of geothermal energy make it an enticing source of energy for college campuses. With its growing popularity, Miami has run into issues finding contractors to begin construction. 

“Cost is going crazy with everything right now, but there’s also a pretty high demand for transitioning to geothermal, especially amongst college campuses,” Van Winkle said. “Contractors, they’re becoming more available but a lot of them are busy. There’s a lot of people doing this work. It’s hard to get good competitive pricing and construction in general right now.”

Once the plant is in operation, the university expects costs to go down from removing cooling towers that currently serve the chiller plant, which require excessive chemicals and water for steam production.

The transition to geothermal is one step closer to Miami’s goal of carbon neutrality, and places Miami as an exemplary institution in the race to decarbonization. From 2008-2022 the university reduced their energy-based carbon emissions by 57% and saved $95 million from utility usage. Another geothermal plant will push Miami to wider dependency on geothermal energy and a subsequent reduction in emissions.

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“It’s also exciting because the goal is essentially for eventually all buildings to be tied on to this geothermal system,” said Herron. 

Miami’s North Chiller Plant conversion is expected to begin in the summer of 2024 and be in full operation starting the spring of 2026, with time to charge the Earth’s “battery” over the summer months. 

kalinaae@miamioh.edu





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Miami, FL

Miami Heat-Minnesota Timberwolves Final Injury Update: Anthony Edwards’ status divulged

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Miami Heat-Minnesota Timberwolves Final Injury Update: Anthony Edwards’ status divulged


The Minnesota Timberwolves announced that guard Anthony Edwards is now available to play in Tuesday night’s game against the Miami Heat after originally being listed as questionable with right foot injury maintenance.

Here’s the rest of the injury report and game preview:


INJURY REPORT

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HEAT

Tyler Herro: Available – Toe

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Jaime Jaquez Jr.: Out – Ankle

Nikola Jovic: Available – Groin

Terry Rozier: Out – Not with team

TIMBERWOLVES

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Anthony Edwards: Available – Foot

Terrence Shannon Jr.: Out – Foot

Joan Beringer: Out – G League


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Game date, time and location: Tuesday, Jan. 6, 8:00 p.m. EST, Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota

TV: TV: Peacock,

Radio: 104.3 FM (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale), ESPN 106.3 FM, (West Palm Beach), FOX Sports Radio 105.9 FM (Ft. Myers/Naples), 1450 AM (Suart), 97.7 FM (Florida Keys), WAQI 710 AM (Spanish-language broadcast, South Florida) 100.3 FM (Minnesota)

VITALS: The Miami Heat (20-16) and Minnesota Timberwolves (23-13) meet for the second and final regular season matchup after just facing off three days ago with Minnesota recording a, 125-115, win in Miami on January 3. The teams split the series, 1-1, last season with each squad winning on the road. The Heat are 36-35 all-time versus Minnesota during the regular season,
including 19-16 in home games and 17-19 in road games.

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PROJECTED STARTERS

HEAT

G Davion Mitchell

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G Tyler Herro

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C Bam Adebayo

F Norman Powell

F Andrew Wiggins

TIMBERWOLVES

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G Donte DiVincenzo

G Anthony Edwards

C Rudy Gobert

F Jaden McDaniels

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F Julius Randle

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Spread: Heat +5.5 (-112), Timberwolves -5.5 (-108)

Moneyline: Heat +166, Timberwolves -198

Total points scored: 239.5 (over -106, under -114)

QUOTABLE

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Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra on the forced turnovers: “That is and has to be our identity. We have to play with a recklessness and activity level that exceeds our opponent, and thats not to put down our talent level or anything like that, it’s more about we look different when we’re flying around and making plays and making it tough for the opponent.”


For more Miami Heat information and conversation, check out Off The Floor.


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Alexander Toledo is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI and producer/co-host of the Five on the Floor podcast, covering the Heat and NBA. He can be reached at Twitter: @tropicalblanket



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Man shot during $22,000 gold chain robbery at Supreme store in Miami’s Design District; Atlanta suspects arrested

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Man shot during ,000 gold chain robbery at Supreme store in Miami’s Design District; Atlanta suspects arrested


Three men were arrested Saturday after a robbery inside a Miami clothing store left a man shot and hospitalized, according to Miami police and arrest affidavits.

The incident happened Friday afternoon in Miami’s popular Design District neighborhood.

Police said officers were dispatched around 4:20 p.m. Friday to the area of Miami Avenue and Northeast 41st Street after receiving reports of a man who had been shot. Officers found the victim, who told them he had been robbed and shot while shopping inside a Supreme store located at 45 NE 41st Street.

According to investigators, the victim said he was approached by three suspects inside the store, including one person with whom he had a prior conflict originating from the Atlanta area. Police said an argument broke out, and one suspect forcibly removed a gold chain from the victim’s neck. The chain was valued at approximately $22,000, according to police.

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As the suspect ran out of the store, the victim attempted to chase him, police said. During the pursuit, an unidentified male shot the victim once in the stomach. The suspects then fled the area in a white Mercedes-Benz, according to the arrest affidavits. 

Miami Police detectives later located the suspect vehicle parked near Northeast 10th Avenue and Northeast 91st Terrace. Police said they conducted surveillance and observed the suspects abandon the vehicle and walk through a nearby residential area before entering a home in the 800 block of Northeast 90th Street.

A residential search warrant was executed, resulting in the arrest of three suspects. During the search, detectives recovered the victim’s gold chain, keys to the suspect vehicle, and clothing believed to have been worn during the robbery, police said.

The suspects were identified as Jamar McKay, 25, Omarion Phillips, 20, and Kevieon Smith, 21. McKay was charged with armed robbery with a firearm or deadly weapon. Phillips and Smith were charged as accessories after the fact, with Smith also facing an additional firearms-related charge, according to court records.

“This arrest sends a clear message: violent crime will not be tolerated in the City of Miami,” Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales said in a statement. “Individuals who commit acts of violence in our city will be identified, located, and held fully accountable.”

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Miami Hurricanes arrive in Phoenix to continue Fiesta Bowl preparations

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Miami Hurricanes arrive in Phoenix to continue Fiesta Bowl preparations


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The Miami Hurricanes are looking to buck a bad trend. They’re 0-4 in the Fiesta Bowl.

Coach Mario Cristobal’s team gets its fifth shot this week as Miami (12-2) squares off against Mississippi (13-1) in the Fiesta Bowl at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 8 at State Farm Stadium. The school may be 0-4 historically, but there is plenty at stake. This Fiesta Bowl is serving as a College Football Playoff semifinal.

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The Hurricanes, the No. 10 seed in the 12-team playoff field, arrived at 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 5, at the Ragsdale Executive Terminal of Sky Harbor Airport. The opposing team is expected 24 hours later.

The gathered crowd of 100 or so was made of members of the Fiesta Bowl Committee, easily identifiable in their yellow jackets, and their families.

In the past, there had been a welcome event in a tent adjacent to the runway. The coach typically made an opening statement, but players and coaches walked off the plane and straight to their buses parked nearby.

Players, dressed in white sweatsuits, filed off their American Airlines flight in single file on a blue carpet.

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The players will take part in a media day on Jan. 6 at a Scottsdale hotel, with the coaches talking to the media the following day, the eve of the contest.

The Hurricanes enter on the heels of a six-game winning streak. Their last loss came on Nov. 1 against SMU, a game decided in double overtime 26-20. They have surrendered just 17 points in their two postseason games.

The winner advances to the national championship game on Jan. 19 against the winner of the other semifinal, the Peach Bowl between Oregon and Indiana.



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